Snakes and Tales
by sea-ess-eye
Summary: When the seance to fails to get answers from her mother, Regina uses the Agrabahan viper to summon someone else from Cora's past instead. Afterwards, Emma notices that Regina isn't ok and she can't resist stepping in to help her, but a certain pesky snake keeps getting in the way (and it's not Hook). A Swan Queen version of 3x18-19.
1. Part 1

**Snakes and Tales **

**Part 1/4**

**A/N:** This will be a Swan Queen story in four parts, featuring Henry getting to the truth a bit earlier than in the show. It replaces parts of 3x18-19, starting with the seance where they try to summon Cora from the dead for information about Zelena. I took out the CS and OQ, changed some stuff that I didn't like... and put in a double-headed snake instead to cause trouble.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think. Reviews will be snuggled.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own OUAT, blah blah.

* * *

Emma thought it was her fault when the bright blue column of swirling smoke above their heads disappeared and she expected Regina's criticism any second now.

The table jolted and Mary Margaret shrieked. It brought an abrupt end to their seance and the attempt to contact Cora. The five of them reclaimed their own hands and looked at each other wondering what had gone wrong with the spell now that things had calmed. She was new to magic and had no idea why they had failed, if her magic had interfered with the process. If anyone knew it'd be Regina.

"Do we try it again?" suggested Mary Margaret.

"No," Regina said quickly and shook her head. "There's no point. It worked, the portal opened but nothing came from it. My mother doesn't want to talk to me. I guess whatever secrets lie in her past she wants to keep buried there."

Hook apologised for something but Emma didn't see or hear what he said. She was still looking towards the woman at her left and the abject disappointment on her face. Regina leaned forward across the table to blow out both ends of the table. Every time her mother was mentioned she had the same expression on her face.

Emma recognised it as longing. A desperate seeking of parental approval. Even after all these years, after the hate and fighting and the distance, even after she became a mother herself Regina still sought to occupy a special place in Cora's heart. Emma could relate on some level, after growing up with no mother at all she knew that she would have been crushed if she had one who constantly dismissed her and never listened to anything she said.

It made her angry now. Cora had the chance to make amends with Regina last year and what did she do with the time? She convinced her daughter to join her quest for more dark powers by using Henry as bait. Regina almost lost everything because of it. Yet again Cora swooped in to ruin her daughter's life without a care in the world for what would actually make her happy.

Now they had performed rare magic to talk to the dead and Cora still wouldn't listen to her daughter.

"What if we do it again a different way?" said Emma. "I'll try harder and help you with my magic. I can-"

"No," snapped Regina, eyes flashing at her. "Did you not hear what I just said."

"Tell me about this seance magic then, the summoning of the dark forces of whatever."

Regina explained impatiently to her gifted-yet-untested student. "It was invented as a means to make contact with departed souls on the other side so that the living could seek justice on their behalf. It only works for someone who died at the hand of another still living person and the murder weapon is a key ingredient in the magic."

"Then it's your lucky day because I am ace at Clue," Emma joked. "Got any other dead relatives available?"

"You think this is funny? Oh yes, that's right, _you_ have never lost anyone. I suppose you find it hilarious that my entire family is dead, except for a sister who is trying to kill me and a son who doesn't remember that I exist!"

Chastened by guilt, Emma softened her tone. "Hey. I'm sorry, that was a crap thing to say. Can you think of someone else we can contact who might know about your past?"

The others were taken aback by the idea. It was an obvious solution yet no-one else had pointed it out. Mary Margaret tilted her head and examined her daughter with a shrewd look. Emma missed it in this instance but she had felt similar inspections lately from her mother whenever she and Regina happened to be getting along in a civil manner. Right now it was like they were the only two in the room.

"Like who," said Regina sarcastically. "I have murdered many people with my own bare hands, you might as well take your pick. It has to be someone who knew my mother in her youth."

"What about your father?" said Emma.

Regina bit her lip. "No. Mother would not have told him anything from before she was married. If he knew he would have told me. He told me everything. We were close."

It nearly broke Emma's heart to hear Regina over-justifying her relationship with her father. It was almost like she was trying to show them all that she was indeed loved by someone. Emma thought she saw Regina's hand tremble before it disappeared out of sight into her lap. She wanted to take it in her own hand and put all of the compassion she felt into her grip.

No-one would see if she did it. But then why did she care if anyone saw? It's not like it meant anything like _that_. It was just that she wanted to offer support to… a friend. Regina was the mother of her son after all. They had been through a lot together. That's all. Regina was far too stubborn to accept help so Emma thought it might be better if she didn't risk getting rebuffed.

"What about my father? He may know something about your past." Mary Margaret's latest suggestion was delivered with full caution. She rubbed her hand across her rounded belly as she had been doing a lot lately, either to comfort herself or the baby or both.

"Why would he have known Cora?" said David.

Mary Margaret explained. "Well, she arranged the marriage. During the negotiations as to dowry and settlement, a full investigation into the prospective bride's family history would have been performed by the court on my father's behalf. He may know something that turned up, something that no-one else knew about."

"You want to summon the King? The one who was Regina's husband?" Hook raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That's not likely to go wrong is it."

"Why?" said Emma.

Regina rose from her chair so fast that it tipped over. She stalked out of the room and the door slammed shut behind her with a flick of her wrist. The rest of them looked at each other, wondering if they ought to get out of her house (alive) while they still could.

Mary Margaret pushed herself up out of her own chair with difficulty. "Oof. It's okay, everyone, don't get up. Let the pregnant lady do everything herself. I'll go check on Regina and see if I can change her mind."

"You think you can convince her?" said David incredulously.

"We need answers."

For half a second Emma considered going after Regina herself. She wanted to but she didn't know what to say. It was awkward. It was weird even thinking that Regina had been married to… _my grandfather. Ugh!_ She hadn't known her then of course because it was before she was born, and she didn't know many details about the marriage, but she knew enough from Henry's storybook to assume that it had not been a love match.

Ever since she had come to Storybrooke and met Regina, Emma was convinced that she was the most ridiculously passionate person she had ever met. All she ever did was let her feelings rule her judgement: revenge, grief, pain, sadness, and loss. Those had been her constant companions since her youth. But her extreme feelings were not limited to the negatives. Regina's love for her son knew no bounds and Emma was certain that there was nothing she would not do, no line she would not cross, when it came to Henry. It was awful that someone with such a capacity for love had ending up marrying as part of an unwanted arrangement by her own mother.

When Mary Margaret went out of the room, David and Hook and Emma were left alone.

"So," Hook smirked. "This ought to be an interesting family reunion. But I thought the King was assassinated in the other land. How are we to locate the murderer here?"

David sighed. "We don't need to. Regina either killed him herself, or arranged for it to happen."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "She killed her ex-husband?"

"You don't know this already? That was in one of Henry's stories. I thought you'd read the book?"

"I um… skipped parts of it. How'd she kill him? What was the murder weapon?"

David scratched the back of his neck and stared at the ceiling, apparently either not knowing or unwilling to say what method the King had succumbed to death under.

Hook leaned back in his chair while they waited. "Let's hope she didn't throw him off a cliff then shall we? Things could get messy."

* * *

"Do not pet the two-headed snake!" Regina hissed. She slapped Emma's hand back away from the reach of sharp fangs. The Agrabahan viper was coiled up in it's box sitting in the middle of the table. The two heads bobbed in hypnotic circles watching Emma with two pairs of eyes as though goading her into trying again.

"I wasn't going to touch it," Emma grumbled, but she wasn't very convincing.

"Yes, you were! It's like you're a child," lectured Regina. "Whatever I tell you goes in one ear and out the other. Being too curious about magic will get you killed. From now on you are only allowed to touch the things that I explicitly tell you to touch."

Hook coughed into his only hand. "Mind if I watch?"

"Hook," David growled and gave the pirate a quelling glare, ever protective of his daughter.

Mary Margaret pushed her chair back from the table as far as it would go and eyed the deadly snake with fear. It was the same one that had killed her father. It was a magical species completely unknown to this world, Regina explained to them. That was why it was still alive after all this time. Apparently the former Evil Queen had kept it locked in a chest in her family vault. She had manipulated the Genie, now known as Sidney Glass, into planting the snake in the King's bedroom.

"... Its bite is unerringly accurate," said Regina, in her best David Attenborough impersonation. "Its venom contains a highly potent neurotoxin. Death occurs within minutes. Symptoms include localised pain, swelling, discolouration, difficulty breathing, and rapid onset of paralysis- "

Emma eyed her mother's increasingly white pallor. "Regina! Okay. We get it. Your pet snake is a badass. Can we please get back to summoning the dead with it."

The five of them closed their eyes and joined hands to form the required star-shape as would be seen from above to guide the requested soul through the portal to this world. Just like their first attempt, Regina's magic connected with the spirit world and the blue portal swirled over their heads. The snake hissed and reared its heads at the unnatural indoor weather phenomenon occurring above.

"King Leopold!" called Regina.

Emma opened her eyes and looked around the room, wondering what they were supposed to see if the dead guy did actually show up. This seance trick seemed a bit difficult to pull off, surely someone who had been killed would refuse to face their murderer again from the afterlife.

"King Leopold. Your presence is requested!"

Regina called his name repeatedly but there was no sign of Leopold so far. It seemed the ghosts were reluctant to talk tonight. Emma thought back to the time she'd played with a Ouija board as a kid. That had been just as not-useful as this.

"Father, please!" Mary Margaret joined in. "It's me, Snow. I need your help."

The roaring wind of the portal quietened and a filmy blue presence in the shape of a man floated down to hover in the air above the table. He was an older man, wearing Royal robes and a crown around his thinned white hair. Emma thought the image looked a bit like a bad hologram.

"It's good to see you, my beautiful daughter," said the King. His gaze passed over Mary Margaret's husband and grownup child. "I've watched your family grow with happiness."

"My family is in danger now, Father," said Mary Margaret, tears forming in her eyes. She gave him a rough overview of the threat to her unborn child. "Regina needs to ask you some questions about her past. Please talk to her."

The King's image turned to face his former wife. He showed no pleasure in seeing her. She had been avoiding looking at him until now when she met his eye contact with a defiant glare.

"And what does my wife, the Queen, wish to ask of me?"

Regina gritted her teeth. "Did you know anything about my mother before the day you came to the estate to propose?"

"Yes," the old man nodded solemnly. His blueish transparent form rose and fell in a gentle motion. "I knew your mother before you were born."

"And? Are you going to tell me how you knew her? Or should I guess."

"There is no need for such hostility. I no longer bear you malice for your part in ending my life many years ago and I will answer all of your questions in due time. But first, you must allow me to ask your apology so that I might rest for my eternity."

"You want my forgiveness?" Regina laughed humourlessly. "Perhaps you overestimate how much I want to save your grandchild's life."

"I don't think I do."

Emma and the others waited out the stalemate between the King and Queen. It was incredible to believe that these two had actually been married at some point. They were like strangers. Terribly ill-suited for each other. It was clear that there had never been any love on either side.

They were all waiting for Regina to give her assent to hearing the King's apology but Emma knew there'd be a snowstorm in hell before the stubborn woman would give in to doing anything she didn't want to. Mary Margaret shot her daughter a look that said, "Do something!", and she gestured with her head towards Regina.

"Er, King Leopold… um, Your Majesty?" Emma started out badly. She fished for something to say, something to convince him to go on without the apology to spare Regina having to hear it. But the King got the wrong idea and thought she was encouraging him to speak anyway.

"Very well," the ghost of Leopold sighed. "I shall say it without permission. I am sorry, Regina, for taking you as my wife in the full knowledge of never being able to love you. I did it for my child who needed a mother, and for myself. The Kingdom needed a mother too. I saw only too late the effect marriage had on you. Not all women are made for it. I will never forget the fear on your face on our wedding night. You were so young. If you felt any pain it ought to have been explained to you beforehand-"

Emma leaped up from her seat, horrified. "What the fuck! Is this supposed to be an apology?!"

All eyes snapped to her for the outburst. Emma was shaking with anger as she faced the ghost of her grandfather, a family connection she despised having right now. They needed answers. Her parents were in danger, as were her unborn sibling and Regina and Henry, and the entire town… instead of being useful this guy was bringing up the most painful and irrelevant of memories.

"You bastard!" she spat. "I guess they don't teach Kings how to issue apologies properly. Here's a clue for you: you're supposed to show contrition for your actions and you're supposed to acknowledge that you hurt the person not insult them further. It's probably not a thing in your backwards medieval morality but here, that disgusting thing you forced upon her? We call it 'rape' now and we'd throw your ass in jail for it."

"We were married," said the King. "I never hurt her."

"Does she look unhurt to you?!" Emma cried, holding her arm out in front of the former Queen. "She cursed an entire realm because of her pain. Her heart is a wreck and it's taken her years to turn her life around. The only reason she made it through is because she's strong. She got nothing but hate from everyone in your Kingdom. Did it occur to you to ask for her consent? Did you even care? Or did you just take what you thought you were entitled to."

Regina frowned. "Emma-"

"I have magic and I'm powerful as fuck because I'm the Saviour. I swear to god if you weren't dead already I'd figure out how to bring you here and let her kill you again so that I could help."

"Emma, SHUT UP," Regina snapped. She reached to grab the sleeve of Emma's blouse and dragged her back to her seat. Mary Margaret's face had blanched whiter than her fairytale namesake.

Emma felt the red haze of anger clear from her mind and realised with chagrin that she might have made things worse by yelling at the ghost from whom they needed answers. She sat in her seat and averted her eyes, avoiding the stares of her parents. No doubt they were curious about why she'd leaped to Regina's defense like that and it now made her feel self-conscious. She had not had an ulterior motive but the topic made her blood boil after some of the things she'd witnessed in different foster homes and on the streets because of her job. Some people didn't get it. There was no argument passionate enough, in her opinion, especially while these things kept happening to women.

Why hadn't she thought of it before? What exactly had Regina been through? Of course it didn't absolve all of the terrible things the Evil Queen went on to do. Her past didn't excuse her actions, but it did explain them somewhat.

"Leopold," said Regina stiffly. "You've made me an apology, which I… 'accept'. Now, tell me what I need to know about my mother and her firstborn child."


	2. Part 2

**Snakes and Tales Part 2**

* * *

"Are you coming, Emma?" said David.

It was not long after the seance was completed.

The four of them (Emma, her parents, and Hook) were in the process of showing themselves out and standing around in the foyer of Regina's house. Hook was loitering around, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to leave with her, and her parents were getting ready to go as well. They had driven here and were offering to give her a lift back to the B&B along with Killian who was "coincidentally" staying there also. Granny had cottoned on to his motives though and had given him a room far removed from hers. The sketchy pirate had enough influence on Henry already.

"Uh no, I'll catch up," said Emma. She crossed her arms and made no move to gather her coat. Her parents exchanged a look and had one of those silent communications that married couples often have.

David made his exit and shuffled a reluctant Hook out as well, leaving Mary Margaret to whisper in Emma's ear. She checked to make sure they were alone first.

Regina hadn't stuck around, she disappeared into the kitchen the second the seance was over. It was the first time all evening - or ever- that she failed to play the perfect hostess. Mary Margaret noticed it as well and now told Emma about her earlier conversation with Regina, in which the two of them exchanged real apologies and finally, _finally_, made peace with their longstanding feud.

Mary Margaret warned her that Regina might still be feeling a bit vulnerable tonight. Leopold had told them the whole sordid history about his and Cora's engagement and how Cora came to give up her secret lovechild, Regina's older sister Zelena, because she was the product of her mother's seduction by a penniless rake. They now knew Zelena's origins and what she was planning to do.

"Emma, what was that all about earlier?" said Mary Margaret. "You know how Regina is. She doesn't take anything lightly. Be careful with her but don't make her out to be a helpless victim, she'd hate it."

"Yeah, I know," said Emma. "She's pissed at me. In other news water is a wet clear liquid. But I wasn't going to let that guy talk to her like that. Sorry, I know he's your father and he's from another world, another time in history, and all that stuff. But did you see her face when he mentioned their wedding night for god's sake? Ugh. Just hearing it made me want to put my fist through the wall."

"I know how you feel about this sort of thing. At the time, I was only a child and I didn't realise the implications until later. Regina was only eighteen when she married, barely seven years older than I was. We were closer in age to sisters than we were to being mother and daughter."

"She married a dude old enough to be her father. How could Cora do that to her own daughter? Marry her off to the guy she was once engaged to herself? That's just sick - it's wrong on so many levels. It sucks that Regina has to find out about this now. It sucks that it happened to her at all."

"Is there something going on with you and Regina? I've noticed your relationship lately has been ..."

"What. Our relationship has been what."

Mary Margaret wasn't fooled by her daughter's supposed innocence. "Emma."

"Okay!" Emma said defensively. "She's - she's Henry's mother. She gave him up so that he and I could escape the curse and be happy. To me, Regina is - I don't know! She needs someone on her side. I don't want her to be hurting anymore. What kind of lesson is it for my son if stuff like this keeps happening to his mother and nobody does anything about it? I don't want him to see me treating her the way everyone else does. Anything that hurts her affects Henry too."

There was that perceptive look again from her mother and it made Emma feel like she was being examined under a microscope. Damn Mary Margaret for knowing her so well. She probably knew what Emma was thinking and feeling before she even did. She was trying to get her to admit something to do with Regina, but Emma could be wilful too when she wanted to be.

Mary Margaret smiled goodnight and gave her hand a squeeze. She closed the front door behind her and left Emma standing alone in the foyer of Regina's house.

Emma heard the clink of dishes and found her way to the kitchen. Regina was there, standing with her back to the rest of the place, busying herself with rearranging some teatowels next to the sink. It looked like she was unfolding and refolding them for no apparent reason.

"Uh, hey, need any help?" Emma offered.

She hadn't meant to startle her but Regina jumped and looked around. The teatowel in her hand knocked one of the crockery cups off on the edge of the counter. It smashed to pieces on the kitchen floor.

"Not if that your idea of helping," said Regina flatly.

Emma went over. "Sorry. Let me fix it with magic."

"No, I'll do it. It could take all night for you to manage the spell."

"Hey, have some faith." Emma pretended offense. "I got this."

The student of magic took a deep breath and held out her hands above the broken pieces. She mimed a gesture in the air of picking up and gathering the pieces. Nothing happened so she repeated her motions, but it still didn't work after several attempts.

Emma frowned. "Something is supposed to happen. Am I doing it right?"

Regina sighed heavily and massaged her temples. "How many times must we go over this? It's basic magic. Concentrate on what you want your powers to do. Think of the cup as it will be once it's repaired and will it to happen."

"Right, right," Emma murmured, closing her eyes to picture it. "Sorry. I was still thinking of it being broken. This time I have to picture it repaired. Got it."

She tried again, repeating the exercise as she had been taught. It was fairly simple magic really, especially compared to other feats she had performed. During their magic lessons it drove Regina crazy that Emma could do things like split souls and reassemble broken foot bridges to save her life but she couldn't do basic conjuring or transporting with reliable accuracy.

"Alright, I give up." Emma opened her eyes, ready to get out the dustpan and clean the mess up by hand instead. Then she was surprised when she saw it: a perfectly formed cup was sitting in Regina's palm and there was not a scratch or crack to indicate that it had ever been broken.

"Boom! I did it."

"Well done," Regina said without much enthusiasm.

Emma watched as she went to put the cup safely away in the cupboard with the others of its kind. She watched her every move, wanting to say something so that they could talk but not knowing what. Regina was the one who usually directed how things went between them. At the moment, it seemed like she didn't want to talk to her. But then why the hell didn't she just ask her to go? Or kick her out?

There was a hissing noise that came from the far end of the kitchen and it was her turn to be startled. Emma nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes went wide when she realised what it sounded like. She couldn't see the box anywhere though and a scaly movement caught her eye. Alarm struck her in the chest.

"Regina! I just saw a tail slithering around the corner. Was that the snake?"

"Yes, my Agrabahan viper. I believe you two have already met."

"You wouldn't let me touch it but you'll let the world's deadliest snake run loose in your house? Are you insane?"

"Like most snakes, it won't hurt you unless you go near it. Or unless you annoy me too much."

Emma laughed nervously. "Guess I'm dead then. I can't help myself around you."

Her joke didn't amuse Regina. The former queen leaned back against the bench and crossed her arms. After what had happened tonight she clearly wasn't in the mood for company or any attempts to cheer her up. Maybe if she went and got Henry it'd jerk Regina out of this melancholy. It was a good idea but there was no way to explain to Henry why he was being taken out of bed to go visit the Mayor at this time of night.

"What are you still doing here, Emma?" said Regina, sounding weary. "Everyone else has left I'm sure."

"Yeah, they left a little while ago. I stayed back to talk to you. So, uh, I think maybe you've had a rough kinda night and um… look, I just came to check if you're ok. Not your usual Regina-response of 'I'm fine' though, I wanna know if you are really ok. Uh, ok?"

"Could you be less articulate?"

"Yes."

"Very well. To answer what I assume is your question, I am fine. I'm 'really ok' if you insist on that ungrammatical construction. Exactly how that's different in meaning to 'I'm fine' I cannot tell."

"Regina," she whined.

"What else do you want me to say."

"It's me! I don't want you to give me that 'I'm fine' bullshit. I know you're not ok, I just want you to tell me the truth."

"You clearly think you know everything already, so what is the point? If it is true that I am not ok, what makes you think that I would want to talk to _you_ about it?"

Emma softened her expression and tone. "Why does everything always have to be a fight between us. I'm trying here and you're fighting me every step of the way. I only asked a simple question."

"The truth is rarely simple," said Regina enigmatically. "Why did you jump to my defence tonight?"

"I thought someone needed to." Emma shrugged. "I got angry over you. I can't believe your mother did that to her own daughter. Made you off to a marry a guy she was engaged to herself out of revenge. The age difference alone makes it-"

"Yes, I know. I was there," Regina snapped. "I said I didn't want to go over this."

"You're right um- sorry."

"Sometimes I have days when I don't think of it at all, and when that happens I don't like to be reminded of it by someone else. Even if it's the first time someone has bothered to defend me. Now I'd prefer to occupy my mind with more important concerns, such as my son and our non-existent future together."

After that nostalgic confession, Regina pushed herself away from the bench and walked straight past her out of the kitchen without another word. Emma supposed that it was some kind of dismissal but it wasn't the kind of 'get out' message that was enough to make her leave. There would have to be dire threats to her life involved at this point to get her to leave. Or fireballs.

* * *

Emma found her upstairs in a part of the Mayor's house she had not been privy to before. Regina was standing in the open doorway to an empty room. She must have known that she had been followed because she spoke before Emma got the chance to let her know she wasn't alone.

Without turning around, Regina gestured to the empty room. "You wanted to know why I'm not ok? This was Henry's bedroom."

"Where's all of his stuff? Did you pack it away in storage?"

"No. It never came back when Zelena brought us here again with the curse. There is absolutely nothing left in Storybrooke to indicate that Henry ever lived here. His toys are gone. My photos are gone. Everything of my son's that I kept is gone. There is no record that he was ever mine. I have nothing left but my memories and even those are tenuous."

"Regina," breathed Emma. "I can't imagine how you feel but I-"

"Of course you can't. What is it with you and your mother tonight? I'm in no mood for heart-to-heart discussions with either of you. Especially her. Especially _you_."

"Yeah, you keep saying that. But I think you don't mean it."

"Ok then." Regina turned on her with a deceptively open smile. The one that showed her full set of perfect teeth that seemed almost predatory. It never boded well. "Let's talk. How do you feel about your parents having another child?"

"Wha-" Emma frowned in confusion. Where had that come from? They were supposed to be talking about Regina's woes, not hers. What did she mean by asking such a random question? It had been just another surprise to her upon returning to Storybrooke after Hook's potion brought back her memories. Apparently it had been a surprise to her parents as well, since they were missing their memories from the previous year they didn't remember the circumstances behind it.

Regina raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"Uh, I'm ok with it. Why wouldn't I be."

"Because they're replacing you. They're getting a second chance at raising a child, but you will never get a second chance at a happy childhood."

"Ah, I know what you're asking now," Emma smiled, catching on to what Regina was fishing for. She intended to show her what an honest answer was. "You're right, I can never have that. All I wanted when I was growing up was a home and I still don't have one. And yeah, it hurts like hell. But they're more than my parents, they were my friends first. I love them and I want them to be happy. It's certainly not the baby's fault that I'm a screw-up with abandonment issues and even though I don't have any idea about being a big sister I'm gonna try. Whenever I feel jealous I remember back to when I used to have no family at all. I'll never take what I have for granted. Ever."

"I see. So to make yourself feel better by comparison you think of what it's like being someone with no family at all. Like me."

"You've got family, Regina, you just won't admit it. And I'm not talking about the sister who's trying to ruin your life. You should know more than anyone that family is built on more than blood ties. You are family to us. To Henry and my parents, and to me."

"If you mention the word 'step-grandmother' right now I will incinerate you where you stand, Emma Swan."

"Argh, no! Not like that. I wasn't even thinking of that before you put it in my head. I swear I have the most screwed-up family tree in the history of trees."

They stood around silently for a while, each trying to picture the room as it used to be. Regina imagined it as it had been before when he had lived with her, bookcases full of clocks and comic books and fairytale pictures that were stuck to the walls. Emma imagined her version, thinking of Henry's pile of crap from his messy bedroom back in New York, with books and video games covering every available surface.

"If the baby is a girl," Regina mused. "Hopefully the two of you will get along better than my sister and I do."

"You're disappointed about that aren't you?" Emma guessed. "You finally found out that you have a sister who your mother hid from you and instead of getting the chance to get to know each other, you're trying to kill each other."

"Nature or nurture aside, we both ended up like our mother. Maybe there was never any hope for either of us. We were destined to lose, because that's what evil does."

"You're not like Cora, Regina. You're not like Zelena either."

Regina stepped into Henry's empty bedroom and began to pace around. "That's exactly why this is insane! She's jealous of _me_? WHY?! If she's jealous of my life, of the fact that Mother kept me because I was legitimate and she wasn't, then she's welcome to it. She can grow up having her every move criticised, she can marry the King instead of me, and then she can cast Rumpelstiltzskin's curse. She can _have_ my life if she wants it so badly! It's brought me nothing but loss and a broken heart. I have nothing left."

Emma couldn't stand hearing her talk that way. She grabbed Regina by the shoulders to stop her and turned so they were facing each other. Somehow her hands migrating higher to cup the sides of the other woman's face. She had a vague thought about having never touched her this way before. Her skin was so soft, and she couldn't resist brushing her thumbs to smooth over it.

It had been a certain way of getting Regina's attention. She looked completely shocked, frozen solid, as though she were a trapped under floodlights. She breathed for the first time and then realised how close they were standing together, their faces were only inches apart. She swallowed hard and her eyebrows creased in a frown.

"Please," Emma whispered. She searched her eyes with her own, dismayed at the sight of unshed tears. "Don't wish your life away. It's yours. It's worth living. I remember what it was like to think you're gonna be alone forever but you can't give up hope ok?"

"Why are you doing this. You shouldn't-"

"We're going to beat her with our magic, you and I. You can be happy. It's not as impossible as you think."

Regina's voice choked. "I can't have _any_ of the things I want. They're both taken."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't!" cried Regina, swatting Emma's hands away angrily. "I can't have my son because of your insistence that he know nothing about this. I'm a stranger to him. I want him back so badly that I can hardly breathe. I want him to be mine and not yours. I hate seeing you with him when I want to be there too. I can't stand the idea that you are the only one in his life. He's my son! That degenerate pirate Hook gets to spend more time with him than I do and for no more reason than the fact that he's gone moon-eyed over you. He isn't a good influence for Henry. I don't want him around either of you. But apparently I don't get any say in the matter anymore. I've been overruled and pushed aside because I don't have a blood connection to Henry 'Swan'. You have the gall to say to me that genetics are not important while at the same time using them to keep him from me? _He is my son_."

"I know. You miss Henry. I'll bring him around to see you tomorrow and-"

"This is your fault. You convinced me to meet him after I told you it would be too difficult for me. But I can't stand seeing him this way anymore, not as some random friend. Or worse - as the Mayor. Who would believe that _you, _an ex-juvenile delinquent, would be friends with the Mayor. I should never have listened to you. I think it's time you left, Miss Swan. You can see yourself out."

Like before with the others, Regina never bothered to see her to the front door. Instead she disappeared into another room down the hall, probably her own bedroom, and shut the door.

Emma sighed inwardly and trudged her way downstairs, puzzled by the shifting sands of Regina's moods. This was getting too complicated. What had she been thinking? Of course it would never be enough for Regina to only spend a short time with her son like she was on some kind of supervised visit arrangement. Perhaps the idea had hurt her more than not seeing him at all would have done.

No. She knew that as a mother she would never have forgiven herself is she missed an opportunity like it. Regina would know that too. The pain of seeing him was definitely worth more than the pain of not seeing him at all.

Henry had not been easily fooled either. He had asked her one night in their room after they had all had dinner together at Granny's:

_"__Mom, were you and the Mayor good friends when you were young? She's always staring at you. How come?" _

_She's staring daggers at me, kid, Emma had thought to herself. She hates my guts because I have you and she doesn't. _

_Emma made up some story for Henry's benefit to explain why Regina was always coming over and spending so much time with them. It was hard to account for though, since she didn't make much effort to act very friendly to either Emma or Mary Margaret. Henry was too smart for his own good, she had to be careful not to give too many details to alert his inquisitive nature - the one Regina had instilled in him._

_"__Does she have any kids?" Henry asked. "Maybe I could hang out with them. Are we about the same age?"_

_Emma wanted to cry. "Not anymore she doesn't. She lost a son who she loved very much. But don't ask her about it ok. It'll make her very sad."_

_"__She seems kinda sad all the time though. Except when she's with you..."_

_"__It's not me, kid."_

_"__Yeah, it is. What about when you guys went out together the other night. When you said you had to go on a stakeout because the Mayor asked you to? She was really happy after that, when you came by afterwards to introduce her to me. I saw her smile at you when you weren't looking."_

_"__She was probably smiling at you instead."_

_"__Nope, it was definitely you. Maybe she's really lonely and she forgets it when you're together."_

_"__She is lonely. Because she's alone," said Emma, thinking to herself 'and it is my fault'. _

Henry was right, Regina did look sad all the time. But he wasn't right about the reason. There was absolutely no chance in hell that Henry's theory was true. Regina did not enjoy her company. The kid had definitely been wrong about the happy look too. Emma had never seen Regina look at her with anything approaching it.

As if to prove herself wrong, a recent memory came into her head and there was something to do with glass and funky smells and chemistry. It was of Regina and they were both in her office. She was thanking her, Emma remembered it clearly. Regina never thanked anyone for anything. The expression on her face! It was one Emma had never seen it before. It looked almost like she…No, it couldn't be that. Could it?

Emma remembered feeling conscious at the time of her own dopey smile, a wide one that she couldn't keep off her face. She had missed Regina this past year without even knowing it. It was hilarious seeing her get irritated when she tossed the glass at the wall. Classic Regina. Then at the stakeout in the car, Regina got the same expression on her face when she asked whether Henry was happy living in New York. She looked at Emma the same way she looked at their son. She was happy simply because someone she loved was happy.

_Oh god!_ Emma realised, thinking over all of the clues she hadn't picked up on before that now seemed obvious. The looks she had missed the first time, the jealousy of Hook and Neal in Neverland, the constant and possessive need to be near their son... and her.

_Regina doesn't want to take him away from that life, or from me. She just wants to be a part of it too. Despite our rough beginning she tolerates the idea that I'm Henry's mother too. She even tolerates my parents now. The dinner at Granny's… we spent most of the time sneaking looks across the table at each other while the others talked. Does she feel something for me…?_

Outside, Emma walked down the darkened Mifflin Street. Her breath clouded the air in front and she hugged her coat tighter around her. She could have phoned her father to come pick her up but thought better of it and decided to use the walk to clear her head and think. The same person kept popping up in her thoughts however, and it was not the Witch who was currently threatening the town.

Regina said that she couldn't have "any" of the things she wanted because they were both taken. Plural. Not just her son, she wanted something else for her happiness. Now that the idea had taken root there was nothing else to focus on.

_What if I am the other one she wants?_


	3. Part 3

**Snakes and Tales Part 3**

* * *

The next morning Regina woke and dressed as usual. Not that there was a strong motivation for it, which is why took she extra care to do the opposite and chose a stunning outfit. These days the quietness of her house unsettled her, now that the downstairs TV never blared the noise of morning cartoons anymore. In an effort to cover up the silence she used her phone as a source of white noise. She headed down to the kitchen to start the coffee machine for her breakfast.

There were odd noises coming from the kitchen. If she hadn't known better she would have said someone was cooking. It was probably Zelena teleporting in to be a jealous bitch again. Probably cooking her a poisoned green apple pie or something. Regina raised her hand into a claw and let it burst into a fireball when she walked in, ready for a fight.

"Hey, Mom, is Regina up yet?"

It was Henry. He was standing at the bench, which was cluttered with bowls and containers of flour and sugar and other ingredients. Luckily, he had his back to her.

She quickly extinguished the fireball in her hand. "H-Henry?! What are you doing here?"

He turned out around when she called his name. "Oh hey, Regina. Sorry, I thought you were Mom. I promise we'll clean up the mess later ok. I'm making pancakes for breakfast. See!"

"But… why?"

Henry gave her an 'adults-are-so-dumb' look. "Because pancakes are awesome. Why else."

"Does your mother know where you are?" Regina asked casually. "Is she here too?"

"Yeah, she's in the lounge room with a surprise for you that I'm not allowed to see. Oh, by the way, can you do me a favour?"

Regina smiled, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. _Too motherly._ "Yes, Henry. What is it?"

"Mom said you would be mad when you found out we broke into your house, even though you keep your door unlocked because no-one would dare to burgle you. Why is that? She also told me that you and her and Mary Margaret used to play pranks on each other all the time. She said she broke something huge of yours once and you were reeeally mad at her then. But I think you're too nice for that. So I said you'd be happy when you found out why we broke in because duh everyone loves pancakes. It's important that I'm right and Mom is wrong because we made a bet. Can you act happy so I can win?"

"Of course I will. For you." Regina agreed to the deal. It would be easy to fulfill her end of the bargain, since she wouldn't have to act at all. Not to mention the added bonus of being on whichever side Emma wasn't. "What do you get if you win?"

"_When_ I win I get to go to the park later and Mom isn't allowed to do any work at all for once. Are you busy today? You should come with us. Mom said you built the park for someone who you love very much and that the play equipment is shaped like a castle. He must be a lucky kid. I'm sorry you lost him. I hope you find each other again one day."

Regina felt her eyes flood with tears. _Yes,_ _I do too. It's the thought that gets me through each day. I love you! I wish I could tell you how much._

"Sorry," Henry mumbled, seeing her eyes welling up. "I didn't mean to make you sad. Don't cry?"

"I'm not sad." Regina smiled widely. She could listen to him chatter about nonsense for an eternity. "Now, about these pancakes..."

Henry returned to concentrating on what he was doing. His cooking skills had improved little during the last year and he was obviously a student of the Emma Swan School for Making Messes, judging by the amount of sifted flour that covered the bench and floor already. Regina went over and showed him how to whisk the batter properly so that all of the flour blobs broke up, leaving the mixture perfectly smooth and runny for the pan.

"Here," Regina handed Henry the jug of pancake batter. "You can manage the second batch of batter by yourself. I need to go find your mother before she destroys my living room."

* * *

As she neared the living room Regina could hear more strange noises. Little popping sounds of attempted magic and then the cursed mutterings that followed. She checked once behind her to make sure Henry had not followed her. Why on earth was Emma doing magic with Henry around? He could walk in on her anytime. How would she explain that?

Upon entering Regina saw Emma sitting on the carpet surrounded by an assorted array of vegetables that appeared to be multiplying by the minute. Rutabagas, those round turnip-like plump things, appeared to be the most common varieties among them.

"What are you doing," said Regina, unimpressed.

Emma whirled around in shock. "Regina! You scared the life out of me, I thought you were Henry. Can you go away for a minute. I need to get this right."

"No, I will not go away. It's my house. I cannot fathom the logic of why you have turned my living room into a farmer's market. Why are you doing magic in the first place? Henry is only out there in the kitchen."

"Yeah. I figured that if he finds out I'd tell him the truth."

Regina's perfectly shaped eyebrows shot up. "After all this time you've spent insisting on this conspiracy you're going to let him in on the truth? Just like that?"

"Just like that." Emma smiled.

_What has gotten into her? Has she really changed her mind since last night? It must have been Emma (not Henry) who came up with this crazy break-in-and-make-breakfast plan, but for what purpose?_

Regina nodded to herself and then remembered her promise to Henry. She had to make Emma think she was happy to see her. She managed a thousand-watt smile with hardly any effort. It may have been a little over the top though because Emma seemed somewhat dazzled by the response. But that only made her keep it up and the funny thing was, a genuine warmth spread through her.

The other funny thing was catching Emma look her up and down, failing to be discreet about her appreciation of Regina's raspberry keyhole dress. Not that Emma would know Gucci if it punched her in the face. But the admiration was certainly welcome and she was exceedingly pleased with her choice to wear this particular dress today since she had not expected any such return.

"So, Emma. Are you going to explain the abundance of these rutabagas?" Regina let her voice betray a flirty tone and swept her arm out gesturing to the turnip-like vegetables laying on the carpet.

"Uh." Emma blinked. "It's - it's a surprise for you. Um... surprise!"

"Yes, I must admit it is definitely a surprise to wake up and find you in my house on a Saturday morning sitting amongst a pile of rutabagas."

Emma sighed roughly in frustration. "I can't get it right! I'm trying to conjure something and it's coming out as a vegetable instead. That's only the first problem. The second problem I have is that I can't vanish them once they're here."

Regina flicked her wrist and all of the mistakes disappeared in an instant.

"As for conjuring," Regina repeated the lesson for the umpteenth time. "Picture it clearly in your mind, whatever the thing is that you want to conjure. Concentrate and it will appear."

"That's the part I'm having trouble with. Whenever I try to picture what I want another thought gets in the way."

"So stop thinking about it."

"I can't."

"Tell me what it is. Perhaps I can help with what's blocking you."

Emma shook her head. "Nope. Can't do that. It'll ruin the surprise."

It was too early to deal with Emma's special blend of nonsense without having coffee first. Her stubborn secret-keeping would have been irritating at any time let alone this early in the morning. The delicious smell of breakfast was already wafting out the kitchen. Henry must have started cooking the pancakes by himself.

Regina went to leave so that she could check on the young chef. Emma hastily called her back.

"Alright alright, I'll tell you!" Emma gestured her over and they both sat on the couch side-by-side. She scooted towards her as though deliberately trying to invade her personal space. It would be rude to move away, so Regina didn't, but she was entirely conscious of just how close they were. She adjusted her posture so that it was as prim and proper as always.

"I'm trying to conjure a rose," Emma announced.

Regina's eyes flicked over for a second and then away. "A rose. What for?"

"Never mind. It's part of the surprise. Can you show me how? A crimson red one, none of this ambiguous crap. No pink, no yellow, no white. Blood red, like the stuff that pumps faster through your heart when you see the one you love. I want my intentions to be clear."

Knowing she was sure to regret this, Regina held out her fist and let her fingers uncurl like a flower opening up. The long stem of a dark red rose appeared by magic in a puff of purple smoke and it lay flat in her palm.

Emma took it for a second to examine its perfect quality and then offered it straight back to her.

"Here," Emma sounded breathless with nerves. "Sorry you have to conjure your own rose because I suck at conjuring spells."

Regina turned her face and Emma's was right there close enough to see the detail of each eyelash and the light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. The colour of Emma's eyes changed according to the light and today they were grey-green. It was a familiar colour. They were Henry's eyes too. They held vulnerability, like the day they had met on her doorstep. It alarmed her.

What was Emma up to?

The thorns were still on the stem and Regina felt the pricks on her fingers. "What is this for?"

"It's a leap of faith. For god's sake stop me if you don't mean all of that stuff you do because I can't get it out of my head. I realised it only last night when I was walking home and now it's obvious. Then I saw you and I keep seeing it and um... I can't believe I almost missed it. This whole time. But only because you're so stubborn, too stubborn to uh, make the first move. So yeah. I figure it's up to me."

"Amazing. It turns out that you _can_ be less articulate than you were last night."

Emma smiled shakily. "Well, it's like this. Everyone I date, I end up getting hurt one way or another. People turn out to be someone else. Except you. Because I already know who you are."

"Why are you talking about dating?"

"Because I- come on, Regina. You know why. This is hard enough."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh." Emma's voice was small but it only served to extend the awkward pause, not break it. "But you keep looking at me… and you hate Hook … and you come over all the time. I thought it meant-... I don't know if I'm misreading things, if it's just wishful thinking or... Are we getting close to something? You and me?"

Whatever she wanted to say in reply, the words were stuck in Regina's throat. How had Emma figured it out. Why was she doing this? She had everything. She could have anyone. It would never work between them, she must know that too. Half the time Emma acted like she still thought Regina was going to pounce on Mary Margaret and kill her. The other half of the time she was so considerate it was almost annoying, the way she called her every day and constantly asked her if she was ok.

Initially Regina refused to admit that she liked it when Emma called. It puzzled her at first why her former enemy bothered to call her at all. She didn't merely call to ask for help. She let her know what was going on, with Henry or the town's problems or sometimes to ask about magic. She just called.

Emma tried hard to learn magic. But she struggled with simple tasks and got frustrated each time she failed in front of her teacher. Embarrassment made her worse. Regina was hard on her and yet Emma persisted, focused on the reason they were doing this. She had come back when she didn't have to. Because that's what heroes do. Emma was a hero, even when she couldn't view herself that way.

Then there was Henry. She referred to him as "their" son these days. When they first arrived, Emma wasn't going to let him know anything about magic or his other mother. Regina suspected that it was because she intended to take him back when this was over. She was going to have to let him go again. But Emma's attitude seemed changed. Would she really tell him the truth?

He wouldn't believe it and it wouldn't be the same. Even if he was told that Regina was his other mother it would not make a difference. He had to _remember_ it. It would be cruel to tell him otherwise. It would be better for everyone if Emma took him back to New York after this was over. She wanted Henry to be happy, and according to all reports he had been during this past year.

Even if Regina could admit that her attraction to Emma was growing into... _that kind of feeling_, there was no way that Emma had feelings for her in return. She would always hold a candle for her first love Neal. She had a boyfriend (fiance?) in New York. She had a mutual attraction with Hook, the persistent pirate. Surely she would not turn her back on those choices. Not for Regina. Not for the woman she hated and certainly not for the Evil Witch who had tried to kill her mother time and time again. The same villain who was responsible for sending her to a world where she was left as an orphan to grow up alone, bereft of family and hope.

But it sounded like Emma was trying to initiate something along romantic lines. But that couldn't be true. It wasn't possible that it was really happening. Regina knew she wasn't that lucky. It was not in her stars to have another chance at real happiness.

_I can never have that. If I allow myself to hope, it will only compound the hurt when it ends. This is why I don't take risks. Not with my heart. Not with love. Not anymore._

"Emma, I don't take risks..." she whispered. But unfortunately her tone betrayed enough of her feelings to raise hope in the other woman's eyes. Even that was cause for panic and the urge to protect herself from falling for it again was strong.

_Crush her hopes. Before she crushes yours._

The rose in Regina's hand suddenly burst into its infinitesimals by magic. A small dust cloud lingered in the air, one particle in a million caught the light and twinkled. But the women weren't the only two who saw it.

"Hey! How did you do that?" cried Henry.

* * *

"Regina, I am so sorry about this!" Emma repeatedly apologised as the two of them dabbed at the syrup-stained carpet with paper towels. "Is it coming out or are we just rubbing it in more?"

There was a plate with a stack of pancake pieces laying nearby. Henry had come in to show off his breakfast creations and he was so shocked by the sight of Regina doing magic that he lost hold of the plate. Maple syrup flooded into the light-coloured carpet of the living room. Worse still (according to Henry) was that the pancakes were ruined.

"Geez, kid," Emma frowned up at a guilty-looking twelve-year-old standing next to them. "You gotta be careful in someone else's house. You don't bring food in here without asking. I want you to apologise ok?"

"I'm really sorry, Regina," said Henry, cringing. "I should've been more careful. Is the carpet ruined?"

"No, dear, it's not. Make yourself at home." Regina smiled at him and then turned sharply on the blonde next to her. "Don't remonstrate him like that, Emma. It was an accident. Do you think that I haven't cleaned up a thousand messes made by a child in this house?"

"So have I!" Emma countered. "I mean, my house. My apartment, whatever. We have floorboards not carpet so it's not as bad… and my kid's twelve, not five."

"Then you won't be as familiar as I am with scrubbing spaghetti sauce or dog poop out of carpet."

"What's that got to do with anything?!"

"Nothing," Regina said loftily, pretending to concentrate on a tough spot. "Just that you weren't around for the hardest parts."

"Are you SERIOUS? You're using cleaning experience to determine who's the better mother? God, I hate it when you're competitive like this."

"Your words imply there's a competition. Admit it, you missed this." Regina flashed her teeth.

Emma glared back, making a cursory attempt to ignore the black bra that peeked out of Regina's dress. "I did not miss _this_."

"Well, that's just not true."

"What are you guys talking about?" Henry piped up, confused. The two of them were acting really weird. He'd never seen his Mom riled up like this by another lady. A lady who his mother had been spending a suspicious amount of time with.

"Nothing," they said in unison.

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Why were you sitting on the couch so close then. Did I interrupt something when I walked in here?"

"No." Again, their answers were as perfectly timed as if they'd rehearsed.

"Mom! I know something is going on. You've been acting really weird ever since we got here. Why are we here? I don't understand why you took me out of school to come here. This isn't anything to do with a case is it."

Emma insisted. "Yes it is."

"Then maybe you're losing your touch. We've been here for ages and there's still no sign of the perp. What are they on the run for? Why would they come here? Who put up the bail money?"

"Kid," Emma growled. "Stop being nosy. Or you're grounded."

Henry crossed his arms, nonplussed. "Nice try, Mom. You can't send me to my room because I don't have one. What are you going to take away? I don't have anything here."

"Yes, you do. Your phone."

Regina stopped cleaning and sat up to stare at Emma in horror. "You bought him a PHONE? He's already got that other game thing that he's been glued to every time I've seen him. What does he need another device for. He's twelve!"

Emma sat back on her heels. She shrugged defensively. "All the other kids have got them these days. What was I supposed to do? I'd like to see you enforce the 'no phones at the table' rule or try to drag the kid off the xbox before midnight. Pre-teenage boys are like gremlins."

"You let him stay up till midnight?"

"You should see how much they eat too. I'm going to need another job just to feed him. A single income isn't cutting it anymore. I'm not a millionaire. You got off easy."

"Emma!"

The two women got stuck in another heated staring contest, unbeknownst to them their little audience of one was taking it all in with amusement and curiosity. Predictably Regina was the first one to lose patience with it. Without another word, she got up and went to the kitchen to fetch the spray bottle of carpet cleaner and more paper towels.

While she was gone Henry whispered to Emma. "Why does she care about what time I go to bed and whether I have a phone?"

"Nevermind."

"Weird. Did you two used to date or something?"

"What? No!" Emma whispered back. "Why are you asking that."

"You said you dated a girl once. Is that why we came all the way here? Was it her?"

"No. It wasn't."

"She likes you though." Henry grinned. "Does she _like-_like you? Maybe you should ask her out. You said no to Walsh didn't you? So you're free. She's pretty..."

Emma hushed him. "As if I haven't noticed. Shhh, kid. She's coming back."

Regina re-entered the living room looking much less discomposed. Actually, Emma thought she looked like she was overdoing it. She was putting it on like some fake overly-perfect hostess from a TV commercial who had come to demonstrate a new cleaning product. Urgh, she was acting exactly the same as the day she'd given her the baked apple turnover as a 'peace' offering. _"I do hope you like apples"... yeah right,_ Emma rolled her eyes internally.

"Henry, dear," Regina smiled widely. "Why don't you go into the kitchen and start making the second batch of pancakes? Your mother looks very hungry and I neglected to bake a humble pie big enough for her to eat."

"Sure." Henry shrugged and went away, but not before sending Emma an 'I-know-what-you're-both-up-to' look from the doorway. The two adults were being very suspicious after all. Flirting and bantering as they were.

Once he was gone, Regina waved her arm over and the carpet stain disappeared by magic. Fetching the cleaning products was merely a ruse for Henry's sake. Magic was much more efficient than manual domestic effort.

"He knows," Emma said in a low voice.

"Knows what?"

"He doesn't know about magic or who's who in Storybrooke but he does know that something is going on here. Because of all the whispers and the staring. He knows I haven't told him why we're really here. And now, thanks to your sassy rejoinders, he thinks there's some kinda romance going on between us."

Regina clenched her teeth. "There isn't."

"Yeah. You know that and I know that. But Henry doesn't. As far as he can tell, I rejected a marriage proposal from my boyfriend and came here to lick my wounds and maybe to rekindle an old flame. He thinks we came over here this morning as part of some super-ingenious romantic plan to woo you with breakfast."

"You call _this_ romantic?"

The scorn in the other woman's tone put Emma on the defensive. It stung. Yeah, she did call it romantic. Maybe the magic rutabagas had been a fiasco, maybe bringing the kid along was a bad idea, maybe breaking in to make breakfast was stupid. But she had good intentions and that should count for something. She had been this close to fessing up about her feelings and attraction. Nothing she ever did was good enough in Regina's eyes. Every time they got too close the former Evil Queen lashed out and pushed her away.

"You know what, Regina?" said Emma flatly. "You can mock my job all you like, you can remind me every five seconds about how I went to jail once, you can go over all of the ways in which I'm an inferior mother to our son, and you can sure-as-hell pretend there's nothing between us. But I know the truth. You wouldn't have let me go with him if you didn't trust me. I've been considering something since last night, I was going to tell him who you really are… now I'm not so sure."

"You can't tell him that I'm his mother," Regina snapped. "What's the point? He won't believe it. He doesn't remember me."

"Make up your mind! First you want him to know, now you don't. Which is it?"

"I don't want you to tell him because-"

A yelp and a clatter came from the kitchen. It was the kind of distress signal from a child that stopped a mother in her tracks. Both women's head's whipped in the direction of their endangered son and maternal instincts had them both running for him.

_"__Mom! Mom! SNAKE!"_


End file.
